Florida Supreme Court Allows Trump Lawsuit Against Pulitzer Board During Presidency

The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear the Pulitzer Prize Board's request to pause President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the board during his presidency, effectively allowing the case to proceed. Trump filed the lawsuit after the Pulitzer Board refused to rescind a 2018 joint award to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their reporting on alleged Russian interference in his 2016 election campaign. The case, based in Florida because both Trump and a board member reside there, has faced arguments from the Pulitzer Board that continuing the lawsuit while Trump is president could present constitutional conflicts, but lower courts rejected these claims. The U.S. Supreme Court precedent states that presidents are not immune from lawsuits while in office. Independent reviews commissioned by the Pulitzer Board upheld the 2018 award, concluding no discredited information emerged after the prize was given. The Florida Supreme Court's refusal to take the case leaves in place a May ruling by the Fourth District Court of Appeal that denied a stay of the lawsuit, allowing Trump to pursue damages for alleged reputational harm.